Brock study uses historical TV coverage to measure effects on voter turnout and MP behaviour
Brock researchers and a German collaborator matched historical broadcast coverage to electoral maps and found that CBC‑served ridings in the 1950s–60s saw less local news, lower turnout and different MP behaviour; funded by SSHRC and published summer 2026.
Researchers at Brock University, led by Associate Professor Andrew Dickens with Mathias Bühler (Ludwig‑Maximilians‑Universität), analyzed mid‑20th‑century Canadian broadcast coverage matched to electoral maps to study political outcomes. By digitizing decades of election results and modeling station signal dispersion, the team found that ridings served by CBC public stations received less local news, experienced lower voter turnout, and elected MPs who spoke less about their constituencies, won by larger margins and voted more consistently with party lines. The work was supported by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant announced in 2019; the study appeared in the Journal of Public Economics in summer 2026.